


New Heights

by Between_A_Dream



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Height difference, Memories, Past Mentions of Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-15 22:39:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11815623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Between_A_Dream/pseuds/Between_A_Dream
Summary: She knows it's stupid. She KNOWS. But Waverly has always been self conscious of her height. Until Nicole makes it seem like the most beautiful thing in the world.





	New Heights

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, just wanted some fluff so this happened. Hope you enjoy!!

When Waverly was four years old, she had just reached a height that was tall enough for her to open drawers. Of course, no one other than Wynonna even knew she had turned four, but that didn't matter. Being taller was a reward in an of itself. Willa had always teased her about not being able to reach anything, made her feel small and inadequate. Maybe that was all over, and Willa might see her as something other than a pest.

But when she was seen opening her daddy's drawer, the top left one on his bedroom dresser just under the mirror that he always seemed to be using, Willa didn't find it useful or helpful. In fact, she was furious with her, and the older girl dragged her outside by her hair.

"I can't believe you were going through Daddy's things! You're such a snoop you little brat!" she spat at her in disgust.

"I j-just wanted to help cause I can reach!" she protested.

"You can't help. You think just because you can reach a drawer you're suddenly special? There's a reason Daddy doesn't let you help. And you're still short anyways," Willa snapped.

The tiny Earp's lip quivered in fear as she followed along, though it wasn't like she had any choice in the matter- She really only tried to keep up to keep her sister from pulling her hair so hard. They stopped in the middle of the barn, the door swinging closed behind them. It was dark inside, the only light in the room from the few holes in the tarps that covered the windows.

"Climb."

Waverly was confused at the command, and she looked up in question at her sister.

"What?" she squeaked out, still terrified, but relieved that the hold on her brown locks had at least been released.

"You heard me. Climb. Up to that beam there," the older girl pointed towards a high beam of wood that stretched across the barn ceiling. "If you can climb up there and walk across it without falling off, I won't tell on you."

So of course, being the naive girl she was, Waverly obeyed her sister's instructions. Her hands trembled and her entire body was shaking as she pulled herself slowly up a stack of boxes nearby that led to the wooden rods above, letting out a squeak as Willa laughed and kicked the boxes when she was almost to the top.

"Come on baby! Show me you don't deserve to be punished!" the older girl shouted at her from below. Taking in a deep breath and gathering up all her courage, she pulled herself up and over the last few boxes, then heaved herself up onto the beam. Staring across the barn at the thin strip of wood, she whimpered, her knees shaking as she stood up.

"Well? I'm waiting!" Willa's harsh voice barked up at her, and she inhaled sharply before starting the walk across the beam. It creaked and strained under her weight, and when she looked down, Willa was nowhere in sight. But, ignoring that thought and refocusing her attention to the task at hand, she slowly continued along the beam, her heart thrashing against her chest.

When she finally reached the other side, she was numb to the core with fear, and she slowly lowered herself down onto a second pile of boxes and hay. By the time she reached the bottom, Willa was gone.

"Waverly!" the angry voice of her father sounded from outside, and she looked up to see the older man storm into the barn, his face twisted in a scowl. "How dare you go through my things!" he shouted at her. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her like she weighed nothing back into the house, ignoring her cries and attempts to explain herself.

In her bedroom, her sisters listened to the screaming and crying and the sound of slaps across Waverly's face. Willa laughed and cheered her father on, but Wynonna curled up deeper under her covers, flinching and tearing up at every slap.

* * *

When Waverly turned 9, she was invited to her first birthday party at Steph Murphy's house. She was one of the only friends that the little Earp had, and she took enough pity on her to invite her to the party as well.

Waverly was ecstatic, and she begged Wynonna to help her get ready. Of course, the older girl was powerless against the plea. She knew her sister was beyond excited, and that she hadn't ever gotten the experience of going to a party before.

Of course, Wynonna herself didn't have much experience either- She'd only had her own that her dad had been willing to throw and the two she'd gone to in kindergarten. But, she was determined to at least make Waverly feel important, so on the day of the party she helped her pick an outfit and pulled her hair into a braid behind her head. When Gus told her it was time to leave, Waverly hugged her sister as tightly as she could and quite literally ran to the truck.

By the time Gus pulled into her house, the girl in the back seat was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

"Alright baby, have fun today. You know my number if you need anything?" Gus asked, opening her door and helping her down from the truck. The little brunette nodded and hugged her briefly before racing towards the small crowd of her fellow peers, the older woman chuckling and following behind with a small present in hand. After saying hello to Steph's parents and dropping the gift off on a table, she turned to bid her niece farewell, but saw she was already mixed in with the group of other kids.

"Waverly! You made it just in time!" Steph giggled excitedly.

"For what?" she asked, cocking her head to the side slightly in confusion.

"For the piñata of course!" an older boy's voice came from somewhere behind her and she turned to see none other than Hardy James, otherwise known as Champ, standing a few inches taller than a vast majority of the rest of the party-goers.

"Oh, what's a piñata?" Waverly asked curiously.

"You've never seen one?" Champ seemed shocked, and the shorter girl shook her head.

"It's a big colorful box, but its shaped like whatever you want it to be! And it has candy inside and you have to hit it with a stick to break it open!" Steph explained quickly.

"You just... Hit it?" the smaller brunette suddenly was even more excited.

"Well, you have to wear a blind fold to do it. And I don't know if you'll be tall enough," Champ teased, and another boy nearby laughed in agreement. Waverly's shoulders sunk slightly, but Steph grabbed her hand.

"Hey, it's okay, you'll be fine! My dad will be done setting it up any minute now!" she promised, giving her friend an encouraging smile. Waverly managed to smile back, and she sat talking with Steph and a few other friends she recognized from school until a loud voice interrupted the festivities.

"Whose ready for the piñata!"

A chorus of loud cheers sounded from the group of kids and they rushed excitedly to the back yard where a lady bug shaped piñata was hung over a tree branch, a thick blue rope attached to the back and keeping it in place.

A line quickly formed of willing participants to take a turn, but as Waverly approached the front of the line, she suddenly felt her nerves bubbling up.

"Don't worry Waverly, you'll be fine!" Steph promised her, holding up dark blue blindfold and securing it over her eyes.

"Alright Waverly, whenever you're ready, take a swing at the piñata," Steph's mother encouraged warmly. Taking a small step forward, Waverly swung upwards and felt the stick in her hand fly smoothly through the air. She heard laughter from behind her.

"See? I told you she wasn't tall enough," Champ's teasing voice echoed in her ears, followed the the laughter of some of the kids around him. She pulled the blindfold off her eyes and handed it back to Steph, slowly making her way to a secluded bench away from the rest of the crowd. That was the last birthday party she attended.

* * *

When Champ picked Waverly up for her first official date, she couldn't deny that she was excited. Sure, the "Rodeo King" wasn't the most stand up guy- Far from it- But he paid attention to her more so than most of her family ever had, and being with him gave her a lot more status in her class and school.

From the first week that they'd begun their relationship, people noticed her, complimented her, and she was suddenly launched up the ladder of popularity. And if even being noticed at all meant dealing with a guy who only rarely paid attention to her and cheated on her multiple times, maybe that was worth it.

And this was the first date of her entire life. At 16, she knew most of her fellow peers had been on at least one date in their lives at the local diner when they were 13 or 14. She'd never even kissed anyone before him. So, in an effort to make it memorable, she spent half an hour on making her hair look perfect, dressed in a flowery skirt and a white blouse, and applied a bit more makeup than normal. A loud honk from the driveway signified Champ's arrival, and after shouting goodbye to Gus and Curtis, she made her way outside with a smile.

"Hey Waves, hop in!" Champ shouted at her across the yard, honking the horn again. She stared up at the truck he was sitting in, at least two and a half feet off the ground and certainly taller than she could reach to easily get inside her seat. When she reached the passengers side, she did her best to climb in, but it took a full two minutes for her to figure out a way to clamber inside and sit down.

"Finally, we don't have all night," Champ grumbled, and Waverly couldn't help but think bitterly that if he was in such a rush he could've offered out a hand. But, she was determined to have a good night, so she ignored him and pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

When he pulled into the movie theatre, he was already walking inside by the time she managed to jump down from the seat and stumble a few steps to keep her balance. She shut the door quickly behind her and quickly rushed to catch up with him. He paid for tickets to a 3D remake of "Journey To The Center Of The Earth" without asking her about it and practically dragged her into the theatre.

Even if Waverly wanted to watch the movie, there were three things preventing that from happening. One, Champ walked past a basket of 3D glasses that were outside the theatre without stopping. Two, as she sat down she was pulled into a rough, sloppy kiss, and she felt a hand slide under her shirt. And three, there were people in front of her that were taller than she was, so for the times that Champ decided to take a break from making out, she couldn't even see the screen, which of course he teased her about.

Later that night, after practically falling out of Champ's truck as he sped off- Angry that she told him she wasn't in the mood for sex- She walked into her house with a heavy heart, but she forced a false smile when she saw Gus standing in the kitchen through the window.

"How'd it go sweetheart?" the older woman asked, not taking her attention away from the pot on the stove she was cooking in.

"Good! I'm pretty tired though, talk to you tomorrow!" she promised, racing up the stairs quickly and not waiting for a response.

* * *

When Waverly heard a giggle behind her, she turned quickly to see her girlfriend standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame in an oversized t-shirt that just barely covered her underwear. She smiled shyly and ceased her attempt to reach a cup in a cupboard above her head.

"You know," Nicole started as she approached her and pulled the cup down, "You can ask for help if you need it," she finished with a grin and wrapped an arm around the smaller woman.

"Yeah yeah, I'm short, I know," she sighed, pulling away from the officer quickly.

"Waves... What's wrong?" Nicole asked in concern, the cup and her previous laughter forgotten.

Waverly shrugged and looked down, an embarrassed burn in her cheeks as she turned away.

"Hey, you know you can talk to me," the ginger turned her around to face her, a steady hand on either shoulder.

"I just... I always get made fun of for being short, ever since I was a kid. Willa used to tease me about it, and so did Champ," she admitted, her head hanging low. A few moments passed, and suddenly she felt a gentle hand under her chin, tilting her head up to meet Nicole's gaze.

"You know, I love that you're short," she smiled warmly at the younger Earp, who rolled her eyes and tried to turn away, but Nicole held her in place. "Hey, I mean it. You're this tiny little thing, but you have so much personality and light inside you. You're caring, and compassionate, and you're the most intelligent person I've ever met. I don't know how you fit so much information into such a small body," she grinned, her tongue between her teeth, and Waverly felt her cheeks flush red.

"You're just trying to make me feel better," she mumbled, shrugging.

"Not at all. I don't like to sugar coat things baby, and I'm not just saying this. Besides, I love that I'm taller than you. It just makes it easier to do this," with a wicked grin but no warning, she threw her arms around Waverly's midsection, picking her up quickly and spinning her around as the brunette squeaked. She threw her arms around the taller woman's neck, and her legs around her waist. They giggled and spun until Nicole gently set her on the counter, legs and arms still around her, and brushed a few strands of hair out of her girlfriend's face.

"Thank you," the younger woman smiled softly, leaning her forehead against the officer's for a few moments before slowly closing the gap between their lips. And suddenly, for the first time in her life, Waverly felt tall.


End file.
